If you were to log in, you'd be able to get more information on your fellow community member.
Try Not to Force Your Format on User InputSome people are more comfortable entering the spaces or hyphens they see in their credit card number (it's easier to read and verify that way), don't like parentheses around their area code, want to enter their Zip+4 not just their Zip code to help the post office out, and many other things that Web site form force on them. Your internal format and the way you display it is up to you (although maintaining the users' original format for at least their verification is better), and once the spaces are removed by you the credit card number has to be numeric, but try to only force how data is entered when it is absolutely necessary.
Never Throw Away User Input
After they've entered it the way they like, there's nothing worse than throwing it away because they entered something incorrectly.
For example, you fill out a lengthy credit and address form, send it, are told something wasn't numer...
It's ancient history in a way, but your experiences bear it out: when I called my Ameritech business office in 1992 (I'd heard that among the Baby Bells, Ameritech was a leader in ISDN) and asked for information on ISDN, the rep asked me how it was spelled.